When Jesus Saw Their Faith: young people in Beaver and a beloved teacher

One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of the paralytic lowered down through the roof by his faithful friends who hope that at Jesus’ word or by his touch their friend might be healed.  The Gospel writers tell us that when Jesus saw the faith of the friends he was moved with compassion and forgave the man of his sins and healed his body of its brokenness.  

Tuesday night’s community prayer service for Beaver Area High School chemistry teacher Steve Witowich was a marvelous story of the faith of friends.  Not much is known about Mr. Witowich’s personal faith or if he had a personal faith.  Right now that doesn’t matter much. Steve remains in critical care fighting the ravages of vicious virus.

On Tuesday evening well over 200 people from the Beaver community streamed into the sanctuary of  First Presbyterian Church for a remarkable time of worship, prayer, and thanksgiving.  There were fellow teachers, school administrators and community folk, but mostly it was a congregation of Mr. Wilowich’s students and recent former students.  

Planning for the service did not begin until late Monday evening as I talked with one of Steve’s BAHS colleagues who called asking if we might be able to call the community into prayer.  Plans were not finalized until around noon on Tuesday.  So how did so large a congregation gather on such short notice?  Both our church and First used their email systems to get the word out.  Prayer chains were notified. But as we discovered when Jeff Arnold serendipitously asked the question, probably two thirds of the congregation, and I would guess three quarters of the under 25-set had received a text message on their cell phone.  (I wonder what that tells the church about how you communicate in our post-modern world.)

But while technology may have gotten the word out, I believe that what drove those young people towards the sanctuary at First Presbyterian was a deep love for Mr. Wilowich and an intuitive sense that even in a postmodern world and for a somewhat jaded generation there are some things that only God can do.  

These young people and the smattering of teachers, preachers, parents and friends sang old hymns of the church, Amazing Grace and Great is Thy Faithfulness, with tears running down their cheeks.  Some prayed aloud and every head was bowed and you could sense the sincerity and the passion of the congregation. 

Demographic studies and anecdotal information say that Tuesday night’s congregation was not filled with people who are in worship most Sundays and, worse, that they are even less likely to be in worship ten years from now.  But everything else about the service shouted this younger generation’s need to know about the faith of the friends who had lowered the man through the roof of the house and to right down in front of Jesus.  They need to know Jesus.  By text messages maybe, but by authentic relationship and faithful preaching probably, we have story to tell.   There’s a generation that wants to hear it.